Biology Department

University of Iowa

Evolution of Stress Response

Our lab is broadly interested in the evolution of gene regulation. An astounding discovery from sequencing genomes is how organisms as different as human and fly, or even yeast, share a significant amount of their genes. This suggests, and has been experimentally shown that, changes in how genes are regulated are a major contributor to phenotypic evolution and adaptation. We study gene regulatory evolution in the context of stress response. Essential for survival, stress response must adapt as species evolve and encounter new challenges. So far this has been understudied and should deserve our attention both for basic understanding of the evolutionary principals, and also for disease and health purposes. One such example is the adaptation of commensal yeast species to the human host, an environment that poses very different stress profiles from what is experienced by their free-living relatives. To learn more about our research, click the button below.